Always Prepared
by Higuchimon
Summary: Fubuki comes over to help Ryou and Edo with their anniversary party. At least that was the plan. Good thing he's always prepared for anything. [complete]
1. Chapter 1

**Story Title:** Always Prepared  
 **Characters:** Ryou, Fubuki|| **Pairing:** Edo x Ryou  
 **Chapter Word Count:** 500|| **Story Word Count:** 500|| **Chapter Count:** 1/3  
 **Genre:** Friendship, Humor|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing Challenge, C6, 3-shot with 500 word chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #37, 3 chapters; One Character Boot Camp, #49, question; Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, #11, rewrite an old fic  
 **Notes:** This takes place a few years after the end of GX and presumes an established relationship between Ryou and Edo at this point.  
 **Summary:** Fubuki comes over to help Ryou and Edo with their anniversary party. At least that was the plan. Good thing he's always prepared for anything.

* * *

"Hello!" Fubuki caroled as he tapped on the door, right after he'd opened it. Having a key to his best friend's apartment came in so very handy now and then. Sometimes Ryou got a little upset at him for just coming in, but he always said hello first, so they knew he was there.

Once in a while he'd interrupted Ryou and Edo in the middle of things, but once he knew they were involved, he would either politely excuse himself or just wait until they were done, depending on just what they were doing, and how far into it they were, and if whatever he needed them for was really that important. By their standards, not his.

He looked around, a slight frown forming between his eyebrows. Normally he got some sort of answer when he said hello, at least if they were there. This wouldn't be the first time he'd come in when they were gone, though. He moved in a bit further, ready to get down to business if they really weren't there.

"Hello?"

"Fubuki?" Ryou's voice came from the bedroom, which truly didn't surprise Fubuki in the slightest. What did surprise him was that he sounded annoyed. Ryou very seldom let people _hear_ that he was annoyed. Fubuki came in for a lot of friend privileges, but this wasn't always one of them. It tended to depend on exactly what it was that bothered Ryou in the first place.

Fubuki took a few quick steps in that direction. Then he stopped.

"Are you two decent?" He'd seen Ryou not-decent many times – the perks of sharing the school bathhouse more than once – but he knew Edo didn't always appreciate someone coming in before he could at least put his shorts on.

Ryou sighed, a sound Fubuki couldn't remember having heard in a while. "I'm the only one in here. Edo won't be back until tonight. Get in here."

That was more and more unusual, but Fubuki ambled his way in. "I came over to help you guys get things set up for your party." It was 'theirs' only in the sense it was for their anniversary. Fubuki had put all the plans in order himself, sent out the invitations, and now would decorate their place for it.

At least that was the plan, until he stepped into their bedroom and saw what was bothering Ryou. He blinked. He rubbed his eyes. He stared until he was certain of what it was he saw, even if he didn't fully believe what he saw.

"Ryou, could you explain to me, why you're handcuffed to the bed? I mean, I know _why_ you're handcuffed, but I mean…" Fubuki rubbed the back of his head, trying to put t his into a question that made the kind of sense Ryou would understand.

"Why am I handcuffed and Edo's not here, and it's not the kind I can get out of on my own?"

"Yeah." Fubuki nodded. "I'd really like to know."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** I have the whole story written already, so my updates will come on Wednesday and Friday.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Word Count:** 500|| **Story Word Count:** 1,000|| **Chapter Count:** 2/3

Ryou let out a very long, very exasperated sigh and closed his eyes. Fubuki could not wait to hear this explanation. He _knew_ the sort of thing that Edo and Ryou got up to and while he wasn't as quite into the same things they were, he also knew they took precautions so this kind of thing wasn't really supposed to happen.

"These handcuffs are set up so I can unlock them, but I need the key to do it with." He tilted his head so his chin pointed to a spot on the bedstead. "That's where the key is supposed to be."

Fubuki took a look. There wasn't a key there. He responsibly reported that.

"I know. We had an earthquake this morning, remember?"

That got a nod. It hadn't been much of one; hardly enough to wake most people, but it happened all the same. A few ornaments fell here and there, and that was about it.

Then it clicked and Fubuki could almost not believe it. "Did the key fall off?"

"It fell off. Edo had already left by then. He wanted to check on some things at the stadium."

That too didn't surprise Fubuki. Not too long after Edo and Ryou started their relationship, Edo joined in with Ryou and Shou's own Pro League, becoming part owner. He kept a firm eye on their stadium, and even a small earthquake like this could upset things. Better to check and make sure than to not bother and something unwanted turned up.

"Why didn't he unlock you before he left?" Fubuki wasn't always one for logic, but this seemed a good time to make an exception.

Another sigh. "I told him not to worry about it. The key hadn't fallen out of reach then, but I was trying to get to it, and it fell farther down. I think it's under the bed now." Ryou twisted around to give the floor, and part of the bed, a very stern look. "And I can't get to it."

His cell phone wasn't in reach either, sitting on the desk, peacefully recharging. Fubuki strolled over and bent down to look under the bed. Ryou might not ask him to help, but Ryou _wanted_ him to help, and Fubuki would do just about anything for his friends.

"I can't see it," he reported. There wasn't anything under the bed at all. Wherever the key vanished off to, it wasn't there.

Ryou said a few more words. Not all of them were in Japanese. Clearly being with Edo improved his vocabulary all out of bounds.

Fubuki leaned back and examined the handcuffs. "You know, you're kind of in a bind here."

"I noticed that." Ryou bit the words off as of biting into a thick side of meat. "Is there anything that you can do?"

Fubuki considered suggesting a locksmith. He didn't think that would go over very well, not with how hotly Ryou glared. Some things not even Hell Kaiser would face.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** So what will Fubuki do?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Word Count:** 500|| **Story Word Count:** 1,500|| **Chapter Count:** 3/3

* * *

Fubuki brought up a finger to tap on his lips, then grinned. "I think I know what I can do!" He didn't wait to hear if Ryou wanted him to help or not. Instead, he dug around in the bag he'd brought – not the one that had the party supplies, but the one he kept with him that had a solution for almost every occasion and issue that he could think of.

Someone had to take care of things, after all, and it might as well be him. Not that many people he knew could do that.

"What is that?" Ryou asked suspiciously as Fubuki pulled something out of his bag.

"Watch what I can do!" Fubuki grinned, flourishing something small and light in one hand. He bent over the bed and started to work at the handcuffs, ignoring how Ryou wriggled around trying to get a good look at what was going on. By some quirk, Fubuki was able to work at the cuffs without Ryou getting that look.

"Fubuki, _tell me_ what you're doing!" Ryou snapped. Fubuki paid no mind to his tone. He had too much he was doing, like dealing with this lock.

"I'm getting you out of here!" Then there was a _pop_ and the first handcuff came off. Fubuki grinned widely before he started on the second one.

Ryou stared up, his expression just visible from Fubuki's point of view, and Fubuki wished that he could get a picture of it to show Edo. Ryou so rarely showed _that_ much surprise.

The second one came off a few moments later and Fubuki stepped back, waving his hairpin in triumph. "You can thank me later. You should probably put some pants on now."

That got a very annoyed look, one of those that Ryou reserved for Fubuki.

"You picked the handcuffs with a hairpin," Ryou said. Fubuki shrugged.

"I thought it might work, and it did. You should find that key, though. Maybe put it where it's not likely to fall off again. Or not use those handcuffs anymore."

Whatever Ryou muttered to that, Fubuki didn't quite hear. He was all right with that, though. Instead, he put his hairpin away and stepped back toward the door.

"You get dressed, I'm going to start getting ready."

"Fubuki, why do you carry a hairpin?" Ryou wanted to know, getting out of bed and looking for his clothes. At least Fubuki thought he was.

But he shrugged again at that question. He'd expected it, after all. And he had what was probably the only answer he'd ever need for it. "Why _shouldn't_ I carry one? It came in handy now, didn't it?"

He wasn't surprised at all to find that Ryou had no answer to that. Satisfied, he headed out to get the party preparations going.

He also wasn't that surprised to hear one more flat statement from Ryou.

"We're not telling anyone about this."

Well, Ryou probably wasn't. But Fubuki wasn't going to make any promises.

 **The End**

 **Notes:** Fubuki is prepared for anything. At least he didn't try to play his ukelele at it?


End file.
